View a FREE sample

1. Describe one theme present within the epigraph presented at the beginning of Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race.

The epigraph Irving chooses as the introductory quote for her book is one written by James Baldwin, the famous black writer who chose to live out his last years in France in order to avoid the misery of the racism infecting every part of the United States in early and midcentury America. The quote states that if you love someone, you are obligated to show them what they have not yet seen. In relation to the topic of Irving's book, the quote serves as an introduction to the idea that we all have a role to play in the fight for social justice.

2. What is Irving's purpose for including a lengthy explanation of her mother's overall kindness in Chapter 1: What Wasn't Said?

Irving portrays a scene in which her mother makes shocking and despicable claims about the plights of American Indians as a whole. Once she has done so, she needs the readers to identify with her mother, despite her remarks about Indians ruining their own cultures and lives with their dogged pursuit of alcohol. So she goes on to provide examples of her mother's generosity, kindness, and good intentions in other areas of her life, in hopes that the reader will be able to see enough of themselves in the portrayal that they will be receptive to the messages about social justice that Irving will soon be sending.

(read all 60 Short Essay Questions and Answers)

This section contains 4,366 words (approx. 15 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample